UFC Fight Night: Maia vs Usman: The best and worst
Last night saw the UFC’s first ever show in Chile and despite a card that wasn’t heavy on big names, it turned out to be one of 2018’s better efforts in terms of action.
The main event was a bit of a downer to end proceedings with but before that? Pretty much everything delivered strongly. Here are the best – and worst – moments from UFC Fight Night: Maia vs Usman.
#1 Best: Dominick Reyes is for real
Light-Heavyweight was once the glamour division of the UFC, as names like Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz, and later Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin and Lyoto Machida became some of the biggest stars in the sport.
Unfortunately, 205lbs has recently become a wasteland of sorts. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have shared the title due to Jones’ personal issues, but outside of their rivalry, the division still has ageing stars like Glover Teixeira, Mauricio Rua and Jimi Manuwa floating around the top.
One name who was pushed by the UFC as a possible contender last year was Jared Cannonier, but losses to Teixeira and Jan Blachowicz quickly put a stop to that hype train. Cannonier if nothing else came across as incredibly tough though, as neither of the afore-mentioned fighters came close to stopping him.
Last night though, he was stopped – and in devastating fashion, pun intended, by Dominick ‘The Devastator’ Reyes. Reyes broke onto the UFC scene last year by stopping Joachim Christensen and Jeremy Kimball in violent fashion, but Cannonier was easily his trickiest test to date and he passed with flying colours.
Reyes seems to have skills in all areas, he’s clearly an A+ athlete and he’s also a big guy for 205lbs. Essentially, when he fights, we could be looking at the future in a post-Cormier world. His violent stoppage of Cannonier might well be looked upon as a watershed moment for him. Finally, 205lbs has a new, genuine prospect to follow.